Whose Secret Santa Are You This Year?

Ever heard of this trending concept, “Secret Santa”? Have you ever received an unnamed gift and wondered who gave it to you? Well, It’s that time of the year again and finally came the Christmas Season, the best time of the year for most of us. The streets are lit up, house doors adorned with mistletoes, Christmas trees everywhere, people shopping for new clothes and gifts to give and there’s excitement in every nook and corner!

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give!”, said Winston Churchill. This lovely Season has brought us so much joy, but something I recently heard, got me thinking and inspired me to pen it down. How many people cannot afford a Christmas tree? How many people cannot afford to buy new clothes this Christmas? How many children do not get gifts to open on Christmas Day? How many people have not tasted a Christmas sweet, because they cannot afford to buy them! Well, there are many unfortunate people who for certain can answer these questions.

Indeed, you’ll might be wondering what our part here is? While we all still keep enjoying our Season, let me introduce you’ll to two new concepts, the first being something called “In-Box”. A certain Church in Mumbai first came up with this concept at the beginning of this month. The Parishioners were asked to bring a box of Christmas Goodies each, which would be given to Charity and the response was fabulous. People didn’t just bring in just one box each, but came in with more than a box each! Delighted by the response, the Parishioners were then introduced to another concept, “In-Joy”, simply meaning “Inner”-Joy. The Parishioners were asked to bring anything they wish, that would give them inner joy. The response this time was even more phenomenal! Gifts kept pouring in, in the form of clothes, shoes, sweets, cakes, cash donations and all sorts of gifts in kind.

Well, what better Season we have than Christmas, to give to our unfortunate brethren! We don’t need to be a part of a Church, neither do we have to be a Catholic. All we got to be is one with a heart to give, a heart to share with those who don’t have and cannot afford to buy. Christmas is traditionally a time of joy, family, faith, hope and charity and charity has no substitute. Children everywhere look forward to the pile of presents under their tree on Christmas morning, but they may not even realize there are children out there who don’t have the same good fortune. If Charity begins at home, then parents must teach your Children to give of themselves and share their joy, exposing them to the unseen realities of life, bringing out the true meaning of Christmas, because as the well-known saying goes “The heart that gives, gathers!”. Giving of oneself need not be just giving away just your old clothes or shoes, but also means giving people your time. Time is the most valuable gift one can give. Not everyone has families to enjoy their Christmas with, not everyone lives in well-bred homes. So, stopping by at an orphanage or singing a Christmas Carol to the inmates of an old-aged home, can also be a way of giving of yourself. Money and material things are not the only things that buy one happiness, remember people need time and people need love! You be the reason for another’s smile this Christmas, you be that Secret Santa, so someone gets to unwrap a gift on Christmas Morning! As Oscar Wilde says, “The Smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention!”. I wish all of you A Merry Christmas, filled with joy and A Happy New Year 2018. Be Blessed, Stay Blessed!